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Last week, we did a story about the oldest known food which is the primary staple food of more than half the world’s population -- more than 3 billion people eat rice.

Rice provides 20% of the world’s dietary energy supply, while wheat supplies 19% and maize (corn) 5%. In many countries, particularly in Asia, rice accounts for more than 70% of the calories people take in.

The average American consumes 25 pounds of rice per year, four of which come from beer. Asians eat as much as 300 pounds of rice annually, while individuals in the United Arab Emirates consume about 450 pounds. In many cultures, rice is a symbol for life and fertility, which is how throwing rice at weddings became a global tradition.

Now I learn from the Executive Director of the Rice Foundation, Dr. Steve Linscombe, that an environmental impact study from USA Rice shows there is less soil erosion from rice than any other crop grown in the U.S. “Rice is tremendously sustainable. When you look at it from a conservation perspective, Rice fields provide tremendous resources to waterfowl during their migratory patterns.”